Hard Labor Builds Character III [Job Chain/Solo]

Adrastos Thanatos was getting sick of the issues in Portsmouth. Perhaps the more accurate statement would be that he was just tired of being summoned to Portsmouth for trivial issues that could be handled by other people. Of course, he had helped with the initial construction of the port city for three days. That in and of itself was no problem, but having to protect a man from his old thug life was annoying. He had gotten paid though, so maybe it wan't a total loss. This new job on the other hand, ticked the mage off more than protecting the former thief. The Foreman from the last two jobs now needed the blue mage to do pest control on a mine shaft where Owlbears had made their home. The rather interesting twist to this story was that these creatures had made their home while a lot of human activity was going on, and only when the were discovered did the miners run for their lives, terrified of what might become of them if they stayed. The reports claimed that there were a total of five Owlbears, the father was located outside of the mines, guarding the entrance from anything that would dare get too close. The mother was farther down in the mine shaft and protected three young Owlbear cubs, none of which had grown claws and was capable of fighting. That meant the only threats were the mother and the father.

The mage walked when the sky was a mixture of dark purple, red, and black. It was twilight, a peaceful time for Adrastos to go out for a walk and it provided him with the silence that allowed him to think clearly. This was his final job in Portsmouth. He hoped it would be quick and clean, simple, something he would take care of without much trouble. These were of course animals. They, unlike people, used raw instinct, making them much more dangerous than fighting thieves and even more unpredictable.

Ahead of the blue mage, there was a low, guttural growl and grunt. The entrance to the mines was just over the hill. The papa Owlbear was awake apparently, and wouldn't rest until it knew his family was safe. Adrastos could not understand the idea of a family. What was their purpose? They were dependent, unable to do anything for themselves. The man became the slave to the woman's wishes, and the woman became the slave to the man's dominance. If the two were to have a child, they would become a slave to the child, giving it everything it ever wanted and more. There was no way Adrastos could ever see himself selling his soul to an equal. To him, there were no equals. There was no sharing. There was only him and his desires. Everything else, and everyone else, was just trash to be thrown away.

The magician slowly crept forward to get a closer look at the giant furry and feathery beast. It was basically a giant owl with paws instead of wings and giant talon-like claws that would rip apart a man's flesh. Definitely a hostile creature if it were guarding his family which lay deeper in the mines. Adrastos stood and got closer the Owlbear. It's wide owl eyes glowed yellow in the night as they stared at the trespasser carefully, waiting to strike when the need would arise. One more step made the papa Owlbear charge at 15 m/s. Adrastos froze in fear, unable to move as the animal came closer and closer. By the time he snapped out of it, the bear swiped at the magician with its claws and clashed with his borg. Adrastos tried to cast a spell, but the beast used Enraged Papa and bit down on his left arm. A scream erupted past the magician's lips as the papa shook the magicians body around, using it as a dummy to beat against the ground before finally letting go. His arm was completely useless having been torn drastically with blood gushing down and onto the soil below. Adrastos casted Aqua Canno II to prevent further attacks from the Owlbear, knocking the creature out. Then, he dragged the animal far away from the mines, figuring that it would be easier to move them one by one due to him not being strong enough.

After the papa owlbear had been dispatched, Adrastos continued farther into the mines, listening carefully for any noises that did not belong in a mine. Out of nowhere, he was hit from the side with the mama Owlbear's Enraged Mama and was knocked into the nearby wall. He groaned, sliding to the ground to find those same wide yellow eyes staring at him with three smaller pair behind it in the darkness. He hated this job so much already. He hated it the moment he agreed to take it. Adrastos saw the eyes get closer and closer to him. He responded in a second, casting Glaciem Aqua Sagitta. All he heard was the loud thud of the mama falling down to the mine floor unconscious. The little Owlbears cried out for the loss of their mother, or rather out of worry for her. Not being one to handle situations with babies, regardless of species, Adrastos used Aqua Canno, Aqua Bulla, and Aqua Fluctus to knock them out as well to stop their annoying whines.

Carrying the mama owlbear was easier than carrying the papa owlbear, but due to it being around seven feet tall, it was super frustrating to drag the female creature to where he had placed the male. For the cubs, he simply carried them in his arms and dumped the in between their parents before turning and leaving. With all the trouble he had to go through, Adrastos expected more huang, especially when he could have lost a limb while clearing out the unwanted guests so the miners could go back to work. The magician grunted with every step he took back to Portsmouth. Once there, he'd get himself fixed up and claim his reward. Maybe he'd even demand for extra payment. After all, he was a magician, not an animal mover.